2
Carlo Gavazzi Controls S.p.A.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity in Energy Monitoring and Building
Automation applications
Abstract
This document will help system integrators,
installers and end-users of Energy Monitoring
and Building Automation applications to protect
their installation by highlighting some core areas
in the cybersecurity process and helping them
to do the right choices for designing, setting-
up or operating a secure and reliable system. It
includes an introduction to security topics in data
automation and control systems, and points out
the responsibility of involved parties, focusing on
the most critical parts inside the target installation.
Introduction
Nowadays, cybersecurity in industrial, commercial
and residential installations is a source of concern:
cyber-threats and attacks increase day by day, and
a drastic rise of IT security incidents is reported
by the Governmental institutions like ICS-Cert
(Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency
Response Team, www.us-cert.gov/ics) or BSI
(Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik,
www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Home/home_node.html).
Why cybersecurity is so important? Because a lack in
cybersecurity could lend to a loss in one or more of
the following assets:
• the availability of system functionalities
• the condentiality of data, and protection of
intellectual property
• the integrity of the application function and
components in use
• the authenticity of controllers and their data.
Cybersecurity is a process, not a product: security
improvements need to be continuously maintained
and updated. For these reasons, it is not possible
to achieve 100% security. Even when designed with
state-of-the-art security measures, a system may
still be vulnerable to connections to the networks of
suppliers, contractors, and partners.
Dierent Installations, common needs
There are a multitude of use cases in the building automation and energy monitoring realms; nonetheless, many
of them share the same architectures and the same actors. For these reasons it is possible to address a common
strategy to get rid of the most critical cybersecurity issues and start the process in the right way.